In a humorous video that has gone viral across social media, Brazilian jiu-jitsu star Craig Jones pretended to file a police report against UFC welterweight champion Belal Muhammad, continuing his comedic trolling campaign ahead of Muhammad’s upcoming fight.
“I’d like to report a crime. I was assaulted by Belal Muhammad,” Jones says in the video while mimicking a phone call to police. When the imaginary dispatcher apparently asks if he was hurt, Jones replies, “No, I wasn’t hurt,” before expressing mock surprise that the dispatcher doesn’t know who Muhammad is.
The video continues with Jones describing Muhammad as “an Arabian Forrest Whitaker” and explaining the nature of his “complaint”:
“He held me down for 25 minutes, and the people that had to watch that want their time compensated. People took time away from their family to watch me get held down by a soon-to-be Chicago taxi driver.”
The mock police report is the latest in a series of public jabs Jones has taken at Muhammad, who is known for his wrestling-heavy, control-based fighting style that has earned him success but also criticism from fans seeking more action-packed bouts.
Jones, who is currently helping train Australian fighter Jack Della Maddalena for his upcoming bout against Muhammad, recently made headlines with pointed comments about Muhammad’s finishing record in the UFC.
“Belal’s finishing rate is not very good,” Jones told TheMacLife in an interview. “We don’t really see a great deal of ground and pound, and we don’t see a great deal of submissions out of him.”
Jones then delivered a particularly colorful analogy about Muhammad’s sole finish in 16 UFC fights that quickly went viral in MMA circles.
While acknowledging Muhammad’s effectiveness as a wrestler, describing him as “incredibly good at what he does” and “incredibly effective at pressure,” Jones believes there are clear strategies to counter Muhammad’s grinding style, which he’s been working to implement with Della Maddalena.
“The only way to fight against that is basically to not be afraid to create movement,” Jones explained. “If you allow yourself to be flat… it’s over. But it’s like having faith that through efficient movement, you’d be able to get back up.”
Jones has claimed that his involvement in Della Maddalena’s training camp came at the direct request of UFC President Dana White, though his statement was delivered with his trademark humor, suggesting it might be another of his jokes.
“Dana White called me up and said the UFC is in dire straits… the fate of the UFC’s profitability, arguably even TKO as a whole, lays into this fight,” Jones claimed. “He basically was begging me.”
The social media reaction to Jones’ mock police report video has been overwhelmingly positive, with many fans appreciating his willingness to engage in the promotional aspect of the sport with humor rather than animosity.
Jones is also preparing for his own upcoming grappling match against Olympic gold medalist wrestler Gable Steveson at the next CJI2 event.
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